Buffalo Bills News - December 1, 2003

'Dissatisfied' Mara not the merrier [5:06 AM]New York Post reports:
'"It's their right to leave," Tiki Barber said. "We're not putting out a good product. I wouldn't want to watch the way we're playing, especially on offense. There's nothing to get excited about. Nothing we did would keep you in the stadium."'

Giant stinker unwatchable [5:05 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'The performance yesterday was their worst of the season - particularly on offense, where they've been shaken by a crumbling offensive line.'

Thanks to Drew, victory comes to pass [5:04 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'They hadn't won since October or scored a touchdown on the road since September. But they had the Giants next on the schedule, which, these days, overrides everything.'

For Kerry, it's getting offensive [5:03 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'How bad was it? Tackle Jeff Roehl, when asked if Collins gets upset at the offensive line, said, "How can he not get angry?"'

Seats empty, words not [5:02 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'The Giants are very nearly the worst team in the NFL right now, groping in the dark while trying to remember how to play this complicated game. Their quarterback is in danger of serious injury on every snap from center. On defense, their tacklers have stopped tackling.'

Battered Kerry in line of fire [5:01 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'Star of the game: Drew Bledsoe may have been woozy during the week, but he showed no effects of his concussion yesterday. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He also survived a helmet-to-helmet hit from Giants DT Keith Hamilton in the third quarter and completed two more passes on that drive enroute to Buffalo's final touchdown.'

Giants' report card [5:00 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'Rushing Offense: F. Tiki Barber gained 20 yards on 12 carries, including an amazing one yard on three carries in the second half. The Bills have a good rushing defense, but they're not the '85 Bears. They were ranked 11th in the NFL and were giving up 104.1 rushing yards per game. It's not all Barber's fault - the offensive line was terrible - but he didn't make many defenders miss.'

Flunking Every Subject [4:59 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'"We cannot block people. We don't tackle people. We don't cover people. We don't catch the ball in critical situations. I have never seen it and never in my seven years here have we ever played football the way we are playing right now. Honestly, I am at a loss for words."'

A cure for what ails you [4:58 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'Haven't scored an offensive touchdown on the road since Sept. 14? Not to worry, Drew Bledsoe. The Giants' defense is only too happy to let you have not one, not two, but three in one game.'

More Moans and Groans, Then Beat the Traffic [4:57 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'Three escalators leading to Gate D at Giants Stadium looked like the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel after a game: heavy traffic and packed with disgruntled Giants fans. What made this different from most Giants losses was the timing. More than 10 minutes remained in the fourth quarter. Ouch.'

Offense Is Way Off Line [4:56 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'The five guys up front didn't get the job done. Collins barely had time to hand off the ball, much less throw it downfield. Twice Collins and center Chris Bober got their feet tangled. The second caused a fumble that led to Buffalo's second touchdown and a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter.'

Giants playbook [4:55 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'OFFENSE Every offensive plan begins with protecting the quarterback. The Giants did not come close to doing that. Kerry Collins was sacked six times and the Giants had 10 first downs, their lowest total this season, and 222 yards, their second-worst total. They had 10 fewer yards against the Buccaneers last week. The Giants have scored 37 points during a four-game losing streak and seven came on a defensive TD. Oy! F.

Incompetence Not Limited to Field [4:54 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'Q: If the Giants couldn't throw because of poor pass protection, why couldn't they at least run better? A: "Once they realized they could get to Kerry in our passing game, it was eight guys in the box," Tiki Barber said. "So there were no running lanes."'

Allen Is Latest Injury [4:53 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'Linebacker Dhani Jones tried to motivate the increasingly young, inexperienced Giants after Saturday's walk-through. He had first-year players form a circle, surrounded by a circle of veterans. Jones then pushed over the younger players and the veterans caught them before they fell as a demonstration of the need for trust among teammates.'

CBS' LT Hubbub: That's Show Biz [4:52 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'That's because Esiason started ripping Taylor, who is promoting a book about his drug and sexual escapades during his career, on CBS' postgame show on Thanksgiving, saying LT deserved to be in the Hall of Shame rather than the Hall of Fame for his indiscretions. He continued sacking Taylor on WFAN's "In the Huddle" Friday, and yesterday, on CBS, Esiason said Taylor's antics were a disgrace and unworthy of a book or air time.'

Left behind [4:51 AM]Newark Star Ledger reports:
'The players had few answers, either. The defense allowed Buffalo to accumulate 403 yards, including 113 rushing yards on 26 carries by running back Travis Henry. The offense generated just 222 total yards and allowed six sacks of quarterback Kerry Collins, who somehow remained nearly bruise-free.'

As Giants sink, 'O' line needs a depth charge [4:50 AM]Newark Star Ledger reports:
'One veteran, who requested anonymity, questioned how the Giants, despite injuries, could allow themselves to be this shallow at offensive line and forced to start four rookies. "Why are they in there? That's the question somebody else has got to answer," he said. "Every team gets injuries, but they don't have to put four rookies in."'

A good event at which to vent [4:49 AM]Newark Star Ledger reports:
'"Disgusting," one said as he left. "Horrible," another said. "Oh, I'm coming back," another said. You are? "I'm a Bills fan."'

Collins battles to the bitter end [4:48 AM]Newark Star Ledger reports:
'Undrafted rookie Jeff Roehl replaced Petitgout and was matched up against Bills DE Aaron Schobel, who had a career-high three sacks -- the most by a Giants opponent in six years -- and recovered the Collins fumble. Roehl estimated that the Bills blitzed as many times yesterday as they did in their previous four games combined. "Just because they know we're inexperienced and they know we haven't picked them up as a unit together," Roehl said. "There's a big difference getting out there and doing it full-speed versus seeing it and knowing what to do. Because we all know what to do. We just didn't do it."'

LT's still high on his wild ways of yore [4:47 AM]Newark Star Ledger reports:
'The most disturbing parts of the interview were the revelations of Taylor's drug use. Wallace reported that in Taylor's new book "LT: Over the Edge," Taylor claims he first used cocaine at a party during his rookie season with the Giants, in 1981, and crack in 1983.'

Giants hit rock bottom [4:45 AM]White Plains Journal News reports:
'The Bills (5-7), meanwhile, had their own problems, arriving with four straight losses and seven in the previous nine games. But they couldn't help but look sharp vs. the Giants. Bledsoe fired for 247 yards and two touchdowns before leaving as a precaution late in the third quarter, not long after taking a helmet hit to the head from Keith Hamilton.'

Rookies get roughed up [4:44 AM]White Plains Journal News reports:
'Roehl was one of three rookies starting on the line, along with Wayne Lucier and David Diehl. Roehl, a Northwestern product, was playing in place of Luke Petitgout, the Giants most reliable lineman who was out because of a back injury. Buffalo exploited their inexperience, bringing several blitz packages on what seemed like every play. They sacked quarterback Kerry Collins six times and hurried him the entire game.'

Blue In The Face [4:43 AM]Hartford Courant reports:
'"I've been coaching a long time," Fassel said. "I've never been around a team that will work so hard during the week, pay attention to detail and then go out and play the way they did [Sunday]. We do not play football very well. We cannot block, we don't tackle, we don't cover, we don't catch the ball in critical situations. Honestly, I am at a loss for words."'

Beef Wellington After Loss [4:42 AM]Hartford Courant reports:
'"I knew the question was coming," Mara said. "And I have a prepared answer. I'm not going to talk about it."'

Bills smack inept Giants [4:41 AM]Middletown Times Herald Record reports:
'"What can I say? I was getting him killed out there,"' Roehl said of quarterback Kerry Collins.'

Fassel looks like beaten man [4:40 AM]Middletown Times Herald Record reports:
'Look at the eyes. See how blank they are? Remember the surging rush of pride you once saw there? Gone. Blank. Dead.'

Fassel's waning moments [4:39 AM]Albany Times Union reports:
'Everything isn't Fassel's fault. The injury list is longer than the Dead Sea scrolls. Three players who started Sunday were knocked out of the game. A practice-squad center played guard; with two other rookies and second-year tackle Ian Allen on the offensive line, the results were predictable. The Bills blitzed unrelentingly, sacked Kerry Collins six times and hit him so often the Giants couldn't call passes that required more than a three-step drop.'

A Giant list of problems [4:38 AM]Albany Times Union reports:
'But after being held to 21 first-half rushing yards, Henry finished the game with 113 yards, moving past Cookie Gilchrist and into fifth place on Buffalo's all-time rushing list.'

Bills coach quiets his doubters [4:37 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'''It just felt good,'' Williams said. ''Here we were trying to decide if (quarterback) Drew (Bledsoe) should come out of the game with a concussion and he just broke me up when he answered all of the questions … we needed this.'''